Government to set up firm to construct bridges

President Museveni has said the Ugandan government has finalized plans to start a firm that would oversee construction of dams locally other than relying on foreign firms.

Speaking at the commissioning of the Source of the Nile Bridge in Jinja on Wednesday in Jinja, Museveni said he has already negotiated a deal for a joint venture with a Chinese firm Syno Hydro.

“I have discussed with Syno Hydro who agreed not to take away the equipment they are using to construct Karuma Dam,”Museveni said.

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“We shall form a joint venture between Syno Hydro and the National Enterprise Corporation to start construction of dams because we have the experts.”

National Enterprise Corporation is the business arm of the Ugandan army, Uganda People’s Defence Forces.

Museveni cited an example of the new bridge whose construction saw over 90 percent of the contractor’s staff being Ugandan engineers, technicians, craftsmen and labourers adding that the country has enough experts to start handling construction of dams by a local firm

“It will be a government company to construct dams and roads so that knowledge by our engineers is not wasted.”

He added, “Why should we continue using companies from outside yet we have our own engineers who have learnt how to do these things?”